Regimental Videos and Insignia

Following the loss of my previous thread during the transition to the new forum, I've decided to post videos of the various Army Regiments, mostly infantry, but also on occasion Armored Regiments, such as the President's Bodyguard, and of various Artillery Regiments.

Note: This thread is for videos only. No pictures. Some light-hearted discussion may be entertained. All videos however will be strictly vetted, and will be removed upon occasion by moderator tarunraju if they do not meet strict forum criteria.

ALL videos on this thread are courtesy of brother BIHAR except where acknowledged.

I'll start with the Kumaon regiment from the far North-East.
The Kumaon Regiment is one of the most decorated regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its origins with the British Indian Army and has fought in various campaigns including the two world wars. The regiment has many heroic exploits to its credit. One of these, the last stand of Company C, 13 Kumaon Regiment at Rezang La has been placed in the ten most heroic stands in history along with the Defence of Saragarhi and Battle of Alamo. Of the 118 men at Rezang La, 109 men laid down their lives, 5 men were captured and only 4 men returned alive. It has the unique distinction of producing three Army Chiefs (General S M Shrinagesh (4th Kumaon), General K S Thimayya (4th Kumaon) and General T N Raina (14th Kumaon)).

The Dogra Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, formerly the 17th Dogra Regiment when part of the British Indian Army. The regiment is composed of the Dogra people from Himachal Pradesh, and the hilly regions of Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir. The current regiment was formed in 1922 through the amalgamation of four separate regiments of the Dogras as the 17th Dogra Regiment. "The total collapse of the Pakistan Army's resistance is one of the most intriguing puzzles of the war in the East" wrote the Sunday Times on December 7, 1971 as Pakistan surrendered. The credit for the fall of Suadih, a small village but a strong bastion of Pak army's most fortified position in Bangladesh, went to 9 Dogra.

The Jat Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It is one of the longest serving and most decorated regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment has won 19 battle honours between 1839 to 1947 and post independence 5 battle honours. Over its life of more than 200 years, the regiment has participated in various actions and operations both in the pre and post-independence India and abroad, including the First and the Second World Wars. Numerous sections of the Jatt regiment fought in the First World War including the 14th Murray's Jat Lancers.

The Rajputana Rifles is the most senior rifle regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1921 as part of the British Indian Army, when six previously existing regiments were amalgamated together to form six battalions of the 6th Rajputana Rifles. Over the course of its existence the regiment has had the distinction of receiving six Victoria Crosses and one Param Vir Chakra as well as many other decorations and honours. It has also contributed to the United Nations Custodian Force in Korea in the 1950s and to the UN Mission to the Congo in 1962.

In antiquity, its first battalion was responsible for laying siege to the City of Kandahar in 1878-80, having marched for 145 miles over a period of 5 days from Quetta to Kandahar. In addition, its 3rd Battalion was part of the force used to contain the Boxer rebellion in China in 1900-02.

Next: we come to the ceremonial 'Changing of the Guard': a military tradition whose origins are lost in antiquity. The Changing of the Guard - a traditional ceremony in which Infantry Army Guards and the President's Bodyguard, in spectacular red, riding bedizened horses change guard with clock-work precision in a short, 40-minute ceremony, demonstrating yhe time-honoured military ethos and discipline of both animal and man.

conducted on the evening of January 29 at Raissina Hills and that officially denotes the end of Republic Day festivities. The ceremony starts by the massed bands of the three services marching in unison, playing popular marching tunes like Colonel Bogey and Sons of the Brave. The Fanfare then is followed by the bands marching forward in quick time, then breaking into slow time, then by the 'compound march' involving movements to form intricate patterns. The last bands to perform are the combined bands of the Navy and the Air Force. This part of the ceremony ends with their compound march.

The Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry has its origins in the Jammu and Kashmir Militia, a paramilitary force under the Home Ministry of India. One of the youngest in the Indian Army, it has grown during the course of its 40-year history to be one of the largest Regiments. The Regiment, in its composition, is a miniature India in itself and is a perfect example of national integration. Much of the the Army's Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regiment and Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Regiment are made of recruits from Poonch, Rajouri and Doda villages. The Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, for their exceptionally gallant and sterling performance during the battles of Point 5203 on night 10/11 June 1999 and Point 4812 on 30 June/01 July 1999 in the Batalik Sector, were awarded the special "Unit Citation" by the C.O.A.S. to their 12th Battalion.

The Punjab Regiment is one of the oldest in the Indian Army. It traces its origins to 1761 when the first battalion was raised at Trichinopoly as Madras Native Infantry with South Indian troops. The first four battalions of what later became the 2nd Punjab Regiment and finally the Punjab Regiment, were raised during the hostilities in the Carnatic in south India between 1761 and 1776. The first and second battalions have been converted to other regiments and the fourth battalion was disbanded, the third battalion still continues as part of the regiment, in effect being the oldest regular Infantry Unit of the Indian Army.

The 1st Battalion of the 2nd Punjab Regiment (now the Punjab Regiment of the Indian Army) initially formed part of the 44 (later 2nd) Indian Airborne Division in an airborne role on the disbandment of the Indian Parachute Regiment in 1946. The unit retained Punjab Regiment uniform except donning the maroon beret, qualification wings and allied insignias of the airborne. In 1952, when the Parachute Regiment was raised and a Regimental Centre formed, 1st Punjab, became the 1st Bn of the Parachute Regiment and known as the 1st Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (Punjab) and retained the same and the regimental shoulder titles till as late as 1960.

In 1951, four battle experienced battalions of the former princely states of Punjab, joined the Regiment. These were a battalion each from the Jind and Nabha State Forces and the First and Second Battalions of Patiala Infantry. They are now designated as the 13, 14, 15 and 16 PUNJAB. Additional battalions were raised since 1963.

In recent years, the Punjab Regiment has contributed towards UN peacekeeping missions by sending three of its battalions overseas i.e. in Gaza, Angola and Lebenon (3,14 and 15 Punjab respectively).

The Maratha Light Infantry (MLI; also the Ganpats) is a light infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was formed as the 103rd Maharattas in 1768, making it the most senior light infantry regiment of the Army. The 1st Battalion of the Regiment, otherwise known as Jangi Paltan (The fighting unit), was raised in August 1768 as the 2nd Battalion Bombay Sepoys, to protect the British East India Companyâ€™s possessions on the islands of Bombay.

The second battalion known as Kali Panchwin followed the next year as the 3rd Battalion Bombay Sepoys. The turn of the 19th century was witness to the expansion of the Regimental group with the raising of 3rd Battalion as 2nd Battalion the 5th (Travancore) Regiment of the Bombay Native Infantry in 1797. The Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre was raised in March 1800 as the 2nd Battalion the 7th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry; the 4th Battalion in April 1800 as the 2nd Battalion the 8th Regiment Bombay Infantry and the 5th battalion from the Bombay Fencibles as the 1st Battalion the 9th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry in December 1800.

In the second half of the 19th century, the battalions fought in various campaigns from the Middle East to China. In recognition of the gallant conduct of its detachments at the siege of Kahun and the defence of Dadar, in Baluch territory during the first Afghan War in 1841, the Kali Panchwin was created Light Infantry. Later, this honour was also bestowed on the 3rd and 10th Regiments of the Bombay Infantry (present 1 MARATHA LI and 2 PARA respectively) for their gallantry in Sir Robert Napierâ€™s Abyssinian Campaign of 1867-1868. The Regiment assumed the title 5th Mahratta Light Infantry in 1922.

During the Peninsular war of the British against the Napoleonic armies in the 18th century, special lightly armed troops noted for their courage were used for swift encircling movements to outflank the enemy. Each battalion had a light company and later, the title Light Infantry came to be bestowed as a mark of honour.

The Second World War saw the Marathas in the forefront in almost every theatre of operations from the jungles of South East Asia, to the deserts of North Africa, and the mountains and rivers of Italy. The war also saw the expansion of the regiment when thirteen new war service battalions were raised. Most of these were later demobilised after the war, whilst two were converted into artillery regiments. The wartime courage and heroism of the Maratha regiment reached its pinnacle when Naik Yeshwant Ghadge and Sepoy Namdeo Jadhav[1] were decorated with the Victoria Cross during the Italian campaign.

The Indian independence saw the Regiment reverting back to the original five battalions, with the 3rd Maratha Light Infantry converting to the airborne role and becoming 2nd Bn, the Parachute Regiment in April 1952. With the integration of the erstwhile princely states, the 19th, 20th, 22nd battalions were amalgamated, from the state forces of Kolhapur, Baroda, and Hyderabad, with the Regiment. The expansion of the Indian Army to meet the omnipresent threat to its borders has seen the Regiment grow to its present total of 18 battalions and two TA battalions whilst the period also saw the conversion of 21st Bn into 21 Para (Special Forces) and the 115 Infantry battalion (TA) being grouped under the Mahar Regiment.

Since Independence, battalions of the Maratha LI have taken part in every armed conflict â€“ Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) operations in 1947-1948, entry into Junagarh, Liberation of Hyderabad, Goa, Daman and Diu, conflicts with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971 and operations against the Chinese on the Sikkim watershed in 1956.

The Garhwal Rifles is a light infantry or 'rifle' regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised as the 39th Garhwal Rifles part of the British Indian Army on formation, and renamed on Indian independence. It served during the Frontier campaigns of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, as well in both the World Wars and the wars fought after Independence. Mainly made up of Garhwali soldiers, this regiment has a distinguished record and a unique identity. Today it is made up of more than 25,000 soldiers, organised into nineteen regular battalions (i.e. 2nd to 19th) and the Garhwal Scouts, who are stationed permanently at Joshimath. The 1st Battalion is currently being converted into a fully-mechanised infantry unit.

After the formation of India in 1947 and the subsequent merger of the various states in India at the time, the Garhwal State was among the first to be merged in with the Indian Union. Subsequently, the Regiment was transferred to the newly independent Indian Army. Following this, the Regiment was involved in the conflict in Jammu & Kashmir for a time, during which the 3rd Battalion's role with the 161st Brigade in the Uri-Punch linkup was of particular note

The 4 Garhwal Rifles played a significant role in the India-China War of 1962.[18] The sacrifice along the frontier of Garhwali lives was enormous, as the Indian Army was ill-prepared for the rapidly advancing Chinese. Badly equipped for high altitude combat, short on supplies, and reconnaissance of the enemy, the Indian troops struggled valiantly onward, despite fighting a losing war to both the invaders and frostbite. Indeed, one battalion of the Garhwal Rifles was surrounded and suffered many casualties in the short, but bloody engagement that followed. Rfn. Jaswant Singh Rawat of the 4 Garhwal Rifles (Mahavir Chakra â€” posthumously), was honoured after being executed, by the Chinese themselves for his exemplary bravery in the face of the enemy.

The Garhwal Rifles had also the proud privilege of playing a decisive role in dislodging Pakistani forces and recapturing Tiger Hill during the Kargil conflict of 1999.

The 18th Garhwal Joint Battalion was converted into a pure Garhwali battalion in December 1999.

The Garwahl Rifles also served, with distinction, in several theatres of the Second World War: incuding Italy, Burma, Malaya and North Africa.

Lansdowne, at a height of 5,800 ft (1,800 m) above sea level, is the recruitment centre of the Garhwal Rifles.

Beating Retreat is a military ceremony dating back to 16th century England and was first used in order to recall nearby patrolling units to their castle, in other words, end of the day's military activities.

An order from the army of James II (England), otherwise James VII of Scotland dated to 18 June 1690 had his drums beating an order for his troops to retreat and a later order, from William III in 1694 read "The Drum Major and Drummers of the Regiment which gives a Captain of the Main Guard are to beat the Retreat through the large street, or as may be ordered. They are to be answered by all the Drummers of the guards, and by four Drummers of each Regiment in their respective Quarters". However, either or both orders may refer to the ceremonial tattoo.